And the award goes to...

Hey everyone! I feel like I've been away for quite some time now, even though it's only been a week. I feel like I've had some major blogger's block! But now I'm back, and I was nominated for a Liebster Award! If you're new to the blogging community, like I am, you will have absolutely no clue what this is. So, after a moment of extreme excitement that I was nominated for some blogging award, my Google Fu instinct kicked in, and I had to research!

What I found about the Liebster Award is that it isn't really an award at all. It's kind of like the original tag/chain for bloggers. You "nominate" people, and then you are supposed to follow the rules to "claim" your award! It's basically just a really great way to get to know others in the blogging community, and to help your readers discover other great blogs.

I was nominated by Erin at Clever Girl Reviews -- and I won't lie, I may have taken a moment to fangirl about, because I love her blog!

With my research, I found that there are some rules to this award. The rules are kind of uncertain, as I've read a couple different variations of them, but I'll just stick with the rules that Erin used.

The Rules

1. Let everyone know who nominated you.
2. Nominate 11 other blogs that you like -- any blogs that have less than 200 followers are eligible (although I may have cheated just a little bit on this one, according to Bloglovin', anyway).
3. List 11 random facts about you, and answer the 11 questions listed by whoever nominated you.
4. Create your own 11 questions for your nominees to answer!

I have no idea why the number 11 is a constant. There really is no "origin" of the Liebster Award, but I think it's fun, and I hope it helps you all find new blogs to follow!

11 Random Facts

1. I am TERRIBLE at random facts lists, and I can guarantee it'll take me a while to finish this...
2. I have more clothes than fit in my closet, and the pile on my floor changes seasonally based on what I'm wearing most often.
3. My birthday is May 30th. I'll be 21 this year!
4. I am the youngest of 3 children, and if you added up all of our ages, we would be more than 20 years older than our dad. 
5. I have lived in the same house since I was born, and will be moving to North Carolina in about 6 months for school.
6. I live less than half an hour away from the Mexican/American border, but the only foreign country I've ever been to is actually Taiwan.
7. I am fascinated by macabre art and writing.
8. I teach colorguard at a local high school. I was in guard for 3 years, captain for two, and my senior year, my colorguard placed 2nd overall in our circuit!
9. When I was 16, I played a pretty convincing dancing pregnant woman in a satirical musical called Urinetown. And yes, it was a musical about pee. (Okay, it wasn't just about pee. But that's what I like to tell people.) You can see a video of my big number here, on my personal YouTube channel! 
10. My very first blog was an "anonymous" blog dedicated to my angsty pre-teen poetry.
11. I like the taste of orange juice after brushing my teeth.

Erin's Questions

1. Coffee or tea? How do you take them?
• It depends on the day, but most of the time I prefer iced tea. I really don't like warm drinks for whatever reason. I like iced coffee with hazelnut or vanilla creamer. As for tea, I'll drink pretty much any kind except for green tea, which I can't stand the taste of.
2. Wine or beer? What are your top three favs?
• Well, seeing as I'm not technically of legal drinking age in the US just yet, I'm going to start this out by saying, no matter what you're age, drink responsibly and be safe. Now that I've said that, I don't have much of a taste for alcohol, and when I do have it, I like it strong, so neither wine nor beer are really my cup of tea, I suppose. I don't drink often enough to really say I have a favorite. 
3. Most embarrassing moment? Keep it PG-13 and under!
• Oh geeze, I'm so bad at embarrassing moments...The one that sticks out in my head the most happened to me my sophomore year of high school. I felt my period coming because I was getting mild cramps, and I thought that it may have started, but class was almost over so I just decided to wait till the end of class and I'd run to the restroom, Well, when I got up, it turned out that, yeah, I had started my period, and it was EVERYWHERE. The seat of my pants was covered in blood and it was all over the chair. I froze up and wiped down the chair as quickly as I could, and luckily my friend gave me a sweater so I could wrap it around my waist and hide it. I ran to the office and called my dad, asking him to bring me new pants. I don't think anyone saw, thankfully, but I was still completely mortified! 
4. What is your favorite skin care product?
• Origins Clear Improvement Charcoal Mask. If I could, I would scream it from the mountaintop, because I love it that much!
5. If your house was on fire but your family and pets were safe, what would you run back in to get if you could?
• Uhhh, my laptop, because I can't afford a new one, my costume portfolio, and the stuffed bunny I've had since I was born. 
6. What's your most coveted high-end makeup brand?
• I think I would have to say Urban Decay. It was the first high-end brand I ever discovered, and to this day, it's still my favorite. Although, I must say I also really love Marc Jacobs, and I really, really wish I could afford more products from that line! 
7. Favorite philanthropic past time or charity?
• I guess it's not really a past time, but I have a very special place in my heart for foster children. I decided back when I was 12 or 13 that if I ever wanted kids, I would adopt, because there are so many children out there without homes and families.
8. What are your top three favorite TV shows of ALL TIME?
• Once Upon A Time, Spongebob (because I'm actually 12 years old), and for the life of me, I can't think of a third. I don't watch much TV, except when I use it as background noise when I'm trying to nap.
9. Can you give us some insight into a time you overcame great personal adversity?
• The best I can think of is this: I was 15 and everything was changing too quickly. I felt very alone and unwanted. To keep a long story short, things got bad very quickly, but I learned that it is always okay to ask for help, and that you'll find that a lot more people love you than you may realize. I think I'm very lucky to have learned this so early in life.
10. What are your top three bucket list items?
• My bucket list is never ending, so this is hard! I really want to travel to Italy. I don't know why, but that's always been one of my top choices in places to travel. To be nominated for some major award in costume design. Oh, and, I want to hold hands with a manatee, like this:
  
  
  
11. What's your favorite food treat?
• Cheesecake. Cheesecake cheesecake cheesecake. Oh, and did I mention, I really like cheesecake?
12. BONUS QUESTION! What are your top three favorite fragrances?
• I'm not much into wearing fragrances, so I can't say I have a top three. But the two that I really love are Elizabeth & James Nirvana Black and Taylor Swift Wonderstruck!

My Questions 

1. Why did you start blogging?
2. What was your favorite toy as a child and why?
3. If you could be any animal for one day, what would you be, and why?
4. Do you have any hidden talents?
5. What is your holy grail hair care item?
6. Favorite drugstore/high street makeup brand? Least favorite?
7. Favorite high end makeup brand? Least favorite?
8. What book are you currently reading, or what was the last book you read? What are your thoughts on it?
9. Either (ee-ther) or either (aye-ther)? 
10. Who is your all-time favorite cartoon character and why?
11. What is your biggest guilty pleasure? 

My "Nominees"

So this is the list of people that I "nominate" for this award! Of course, you don't have to do this, but I think it's a lot of fun, and a great way for readers to get to know the bloggers. 

1. Sequins and Sea Breezes
2. Majotron Blogs
3. I Speak Beauty
4. why hello beauty!
5. reverie belle beauty blog
6. BeautyBakingBella
7. Simply Abbi
8. Anna Blush
9. Bethnal Bohemia

If I'm being honest, I can't really think of anyone else to nominate, because I'm still pretty new to the blogging community! Erin had a ton of really great blogs that she nominated though, so I would definitely suggest checking out her nominees!

- d.